In the restaurant industry beverages that require mixing are often prepared by beverage dispensers which quickly add two or more ingredients together in a mixing bowl, mix these ingredients and dispense the mixed product. Concentrated beverages, and/or syrups and dairy products can be mixed and, under some circumstances, are whipped into a foam, and then dispensed through a nozzle which dispenses the beverage for consumption by the consumer. The dispensing nozzle, as well as the remainder of the surfaces that contact the product in a beverage dispenser, require regular cleaning to prevent the build up of food deposits. Cleanliness is all the more important when the beverages include dairy products because residual amounts of dairy products encourage bacterial growth and quickly decompose into poor tasting, inedible products having a putrid smell.
After a certain amount of use, solid residues accumulate in dispensing machines, particularly in the nozzle. This build up can alter the taste and/or quality of dispensed beverages and can disrupt beverage supply thereby reducing or terminating the flow of product. Consequently, dispensing machines must be cleaned. However, maintenance operations reduce the efficiency of dispensing machines which are often taken out of service for the amount of time required to clean them.
Beverage dispensers have been designed that provide for cleaning of nozzles such that they can be rinsed and/or cleaned while they remain in-place in the beverage dispenser. US 2004/0118291, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an automated food product dispenser comprising an interface connection configured to establish a supply of a milk-based fluid from a reservoir (for example a container or bag), a mixing device configured to receive the milk-based fluid (e.g., a milk liquid concentrate) and prepare a milk-based product (e.g., a cappuccino or latte type beverage), a nozzle in fluid association with the mixing device for dispensing the milk based product, a product flowpath configured for directing the milk-based product to flow from the interface connection through the mixing device to the nozzle, and a clean-in-place flowpath assembly. The device also includes a supply of cleaning or sanitizing fluid and a cleaning solution flowpath, which is configured to deliver the cleaning or sanitizing fluid so that it can pass through and clean the product flowpath. To maintain the dispenser in a sanitized state, the product flowpath and surfaces that contact the beverage components are routinely cleaned by flushing those surfaces with cleaning fluids at periodical intervals.
Although such a system provides for improved cleanliness, additional improvements that can potentially clean the dispenser more thoroughly and that can potentially reduce the risk of microbial contamination and/or growth even further are always desirable and sought after.
Another important aspect of a beverage dispenser nozzle is the flow pathway required to bring the mixed beverage product through the dispenser. This is particularly important for whipped foam products. In beverage dispensers a beverage is typically mixed in a mixing bowl and passes through the bowl passed a whipper which generates a foam. The foam often travels a tortuous path that winds around the dispensing machine through a piston to the dispensing head where it takes one last 180 degree bend and is dispensed through an outlet for consumption. Such a flow pathway is lengthy and contains numerous turns which cause the buildup of air pockets in the product pathway as the foam is gradually disrupted along the pathway. In addition, such a pathway provides numerous locations for food deposits to accumulate and bacteria to grow. Thus, new nozzle compositions that provide short pathways for delivering mixed beverage products, particularly foam products, are needed. Such compositions could be used to deliver higher quality foam products to consumers.